off 


REPORT  OF  THE  BOARD  OF  ENGINEERS 

ON  THE 

SUBJECT  OF  RAPID  TRANSIT  THROUGH  NEW-YORK. 


The  undersigned  have  been  requested  to  consider  the  question  of  a  sub-way 
under  Broadway,  in  the  city  of  New- York,  with  the  view  of  relieving  that  street 
from  its  present  interruptions,  and  of  affording  a  more  convenient  and  speedy 
transit,  for  passengers  and  for  merchandise,  without  injury  to  the  property  upon 
the  line  of  the  street,  or  diversion  of  the  established  classes  of  business  thereon. 

The  New- York  Arcade  Railway  Company  have  laid  before  us  their  plans  for 
accomplishing  these  purposes,  and  we  have  had  under  consideration  other  plans 
which  have,  from  time  to  time,  been  proposed  for  the  same  objects. 

It  is  considered  unnecessary,  at  this  time,  to  compare  the  relative  advantages  of 
these  several  plans,  and  we  therefore,  for  the  present,  will  confine  ourselves  to  the 
consideration  of  the  necessities  of  the  case,  and  how  far  the  plans  of  the  Arcade 
Company  meet  them. 

We  observe,  in  the  report  of  the  Engineer  of  this  company,  the  following  re- 
marks : 

"  The  rapid  growth  of  New- York  City  in  wealth  and  population,  with  the  corre- 
sponding increase  in  trade  and  travel,  have  so  crowded  the  thoroughfares  and  over- 
burdened the  means  of  transportation  that  there  is  an  imperative  and  universal 
demand  for  relief,  while  a  settled  conviction  pervades  the  public  mind  that  this 
relief  can  only  be  afforded  by  the  construction  of  a  sub-surface  railway.  A  thorough 
investigation  of  this  subject,  made  by  a  commission  appointed  by  the  Senate  of  1866? 
and  composed  in  part  of  able  and  scientific  engineers,  resulted  in  the  conclusion, 
*  That  underground  railways,  passing  under  streets,  present  the  only  speedy  remedy 
for  the  present  and  prospective  wants  of  the  city  of  New- York,  in  the  matter  of  a 
safe,  rapid,  and  cheap  transportation  of  persons  and  property.' "    .  . 

It  is  apparent,  therefore,  that  what  is  demanded,  is — 

1.  To  convey  passengers  between  that  portion  of  the  city  which  is  devoted  to 
business  and  that  occupied  by  residences  with  speed,  comfort,  and  convenience. 

2.  To  convey  merchandise  along  the  main  channels  of  trade  and  distribution 
with  dispatch,  cheapness,  and  convenience. 

3.  To  accommodate  the  existing  business  along  this  avenue,  and  preserve  the 
street  to  its  original  purpose  ;  and 


4.  To  secure  the  above-mentioned  objects  with  the  least  possible  temporary 
obstruction  of  the  travel  and  trade  pawing  through  the  street,  and  of  the  business 
now  transacted  thereon. 

This  street  is  now  used  tor  the  transportation  of  what  may  be  termed  local  and 
through  passengers  and  merchandise.  That  which  requires  the  slowest  movement 
controls  the  speed  of  tlisi t  which  demands  the  fastest  transit.  The  transportation  of 
merchandise  now  so  completely  gorges  not  only  the  main  artery,  but  also  the  cross- 
ing streets,  as  frequently  to  render  all  progress,  for  a  time,  impracticable.  Hence,  a 
plan  which  will  systematize  the  travel  will,  of  itself,  afford  a  certain  degree  of  relief; 
and  one  which  not  only  accomplishes  this  object,  but  also  duplicates  Broadway, 
will  much  more  than  double  its  present  capacity. 

A  sub-way  which  will  permit  of  a  rapid  movement  for  the  through  travel,  and  a 
slower  but  still  rapid  movement  of  the  Local  travel,  will  not  only  accommodate 
these  two  classes  of  travel,  but  will  remove  from  the  upper  surface  of  Broad  wav  so 
large  a  number  of  vehicles  as  to  leave  it  free  for  carriages  moving  rapidly,  and  carts 
moving  slowly,  without  impeding,  as  now,  the  progress  of  both. 

The  object  aimed  at  should  be,  not  to  turn  travel  from  IJroadway,  but  to 
accommodate  it  in  its  most  accustomed  and  natural  channel.  Any  plan  which 
tends  to  such  diversion  is  not  only  injurious  to  the  property  along  Broadway,  but 
also  to  the  public,  exactly  in  proportion  to  it>  success. 

It  is  worth  remembering  that  it  now  costs  almost  as  much  to  convev  freight 
from  Thirtieth  street,  where  it  is  left  by  steam,  to  the  business  portions  of  the  city, 
as  it  does  from  Albany  to  New- York;  and  to  convey  it  across  the  city,  as  it  does 
to  Liverpool. 

By  this  sub- way  railway,  the  cost  of  movement  along  its  route,  connecting,  as  it 
will,  with  the  steam  railways  entering  New-York,  will  be  very  nearly  in  proportion 
to  its  distance,  and  not,  as  now,  by  a  change  of  conveyance  more  than  tenfold  as 
expensive. 

The  following,  among  other  incidental  advantages  will  be  obtained  by  means  of 
this  sub-way,  namely, 

A  convenient  vault  for  placing  the  water  and  gas-pipes,  and  the  sewers,  where 
they  may  be  examined,  repaired,  or  relaid,  without  disturbing  any  portion  of  the 
street,  sub-way,  or  convenient  use  of  any  of  the  buildings. 

The  surface  of  the  upper  street,  no  longer  liable  to  be  disturbed  by  breaking  up 
the  pavement  to  reach  these  pipes  and  sewers,  will  remain  intact  for  years,  and  thus 
savj  large  sums  to  the  city,  and  render  Broadway  the  most  perfect  carriage-road  in 
the  world. 

The  most  valuable  storv  in  anv  of  the  buildings  is  the  one  level  with  the 
sidewalk.  By  this  sub- way  a  story  almost  as  valuable  will  be  added  to  each 
building. 

This  sub-way  will  be  well  lighted  and  well  ventilated  without  any  sacrifice  to  the 
upper  street. 

The  general  plan  of  construction  we  understand  to  be  :  The  excavation  of  a 
sub-way  street,  with  sidewalks  for  foot  passengers,  at  a  general  level  of  twelve  feet 
below  the  grade  of  the  present  sidewalks,  and  between  these  sidewalks  a  central 
roadway  some  three  feet  lower,  in  which  are  to  be  placed  four  railway  tracks,  the  two 
middle  ones  designed  for  fast-moving  trains  by  steam  power,  stopping  at  intervals  of 
perhaps  a  mile,  and  two  exterior  tracks,  designed  for  local  or  shorter  travel  and  con- 


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necting  with  tlie  fast  trains;  the  upper  street  to  be  supported  on  columns  and 
girders,  with  arches  between,  and  completed  with  a  road-bed  and  pavement  of  the 
most  approved  construction. 

An  area  or  space  of  six  feet  width,  adjacent  to  the  buildings,  to  be  left  for 
ventilation  and  light ;  and  a  portion  of  the  sidewalks,  made  of  glass,  increasing 
the  light  to  the  sub-way,  so  that  it  will,  in  this  respect,  be  far  better  lighted  than  the 
basement  stories  now  on  the  street.  The  existing  vaults  may  be  rebuilt  under  the 
lower  sidewalks. 

The  sewers  to  be  carried  through  the  space  between  the  two  middle  tracks,  and 
the  water  and  gas-pipes  between  the  other  tracks.  The  water  and  gas-pipes  may 
be  suspended  over  the  sidewalks,  as  is  done  in  the  sewers  of  Paris. 

The  motive  power  is  assumed  to  be  steam ;  and  to  avoid  the  exhalation  of  the 
gases  of  combustion,  the  locomotives  may  take  their  supplies  of  steam  at  certain 
localities  where  it  will  be  generated  in  stationary  boilers.  For  the  same  reason,  the 
exhaust  steam  should  not  be  discharged  into  the  tunnel,  but  should  be  condensed  in 
cold-water  tanks  attached  to  the  locomotives. 

It  is  alleged  that  compressed  air,  of  the  same  pressure  as  the  steam,  might  with 
advantage  be  substituted  for  the  latter,  the  exhaust  of  which  into  the  tunnel  would 
be  unobjectionable.  This  kind  of  power  has  been  successfully  applied  for  many 
years  at  Mont  Cenis  and  Hoosic  tunnels  ;  but  further  examination  would  be  re- 
quired before  it  should  be  determined  upon  as  a  substitute  for  steam  power. 

The  plan  of  working,  as  arranged,  contemplates  no  interruption  to  the  travel 
along  the  street,  nor  to  the  accustomed  occupancy  of  the  buildings  thereon. 

A  series  of  parallel  bridges  are  proposed  to  be  used  which  will  allow  a  vehicle 
to  stand  opposite  each  building,  and  yet  allow  four  other  vehicles  (two  on  each  side 
of  the  street)  to  pass  "each  other ;  similar  bridges  along  the  sidewalks,  allowing 
the  foot  passengers  to  pass  freely  ;  these  bridges  to  be  elevated  four  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  street,  with  sloping  approaches  at  each  end,  to  be  removed  at  mid- 
night, panel  by  panel,  as  the  work  progresses  ;  side  steps  to  each  building  giving 
access  thereto. 

The  surplus  materials  taken  out  of  the  street  and  the  new  materials  required, 
are  all  proposed  to  be  removed  through  the  completed  subway,  without  in  any  case 
using  the  street  therefor. 

The  engineers  of  the  company  estimate  that  the  average  rate  of  progress  of  the 
work  will  be  a  lineal  yard  each  day  for  each  place  of  working.  And  to  tinish  the 
whole  road,  or  any  section  of  the  work  in  two  years  would  require  three  places  of 
working  on  each  mile,  and  in  that  proportion  for  any  other  desired  rate  of  progress. 
There  are  places  where  the  presence  of  rock  or  water  will  not  permit  of  a  progress 
of  a  lineal  yard  per  day  ;  and  in  such  cases  more  frequent  working  places  must  be 
provided.    It  is  proposed  to  excavate  the  rock  by  quarrying  and  not  by  blasting. 

The  foundations  of  ail  the  buildings  erected  during  the  last  twenty  years  are 
below  the  proposed  level  of  the  excavations.  Where  it  becomes  necessary  to  ex- 
cavate below  the  foundations  of  any  of  the  older  buildings,  it  can  be  done  without 
danger  or  injury,  by  the  exercise  of  the  same  care  as  is  now  practiced  in  extending 
the  foundation  of  one  building  deeper  than  that  of  the  adjacent  ones. 

The  method  proposed  for  executing  the  work  will  prevent  interruption  to  the 
supply  of  water  and  gas,  and  to  the  discharge  of  the  sewage. 

The  new  pipes  and  sewers  will  be  placed  in  their  proper  positions  in  the  sub-way, 


4 


and  the  connections  to  be  made,  provided  with  shut-off  cocks,  with  all  of  the  adja- 
cent buildings.  Meanwhile,  the  present  system  of  pipes  to  be  maintained,  first 
by  supporting  them  from  the  temporary  bridge,  and  subsequently  from  the  sub-Way 
girders.  As  frequently  as  may  be  desired,  temporary  connections  may  be  made 
with  tha  existing  pipes,  and  the  water  and  gas  turned  from  the  bid  to  the  new 
system  in  less  than  an  hour. 

We  have  to  some  extent  examined  the  details  of  construetion,  and  are  satisfied 
that  they  have  generally  been  well  designed  to  meet  the  necessities  of  the  ease. 
There  will,  no  doubt,  be  found  many  modifications  improving  the  plan  and  perhaps 
lessening  the  cost  of  the  work. 

The  engineers  of  the  company  have  laid  before  us  their  estimates  for  this,  vary- 
ing fro  u  $1,600,000  to  $2,000,000  per  mile.  All  of  the  important  items  of  cost  are 
of  easy  determination,  and  the  highest  of  these  siuns  would  in  general  he  sufficient 
to  cover  the  cost. 

The  most  obvious  difficulty  in  the  construction  of  the  road  is  in  the  crossing  of 
Canal  street.  The  method  which  most  readily  sugire-t-  itself  is  one  whieii  would 
greatly  enhance  the  value  of  all  the  property  affected  ;  that  is,  to  raise  the  grade  of 
Broadway,  Canal,  and  the  adjacent  streets.  This  plan,  however,  is  not  likely  to  he 
adopted,  and  the  engineers  of  the  company  have  proposed  to'  carry  the  sub  way 
across  Canal  street  by  a  water-tight  iron  caisson. 

A  portion  of  the  sewage  which  comes  down  from  the  east  side  of  Broadway  will 
require  to  be  transported  across  Broadway ;  but  much  the  largest  portion  may  be 
intercepted  and  conveyed  under  the  sub-way,  where  its  bottom  grade  is  sufficiently 
high  to  allow  the  under  passage  of  the  sewer. 

The  plans,  as  thus  developed,  seem  to  have  been  arranged  to  meet  all  the  objec- 
tions which  would  naturally  occur  in  a  careful  examination  of  the  project. 

A  resume  of  the  foregoing  statements,  and  discussion  of  the  subject,  shows  that 
a  Sub- Arcade  Railway  will  accomplish  the  objects  desired,  namely, 

1.  It  provides  a  pleasant,  rapid  transit  for  through  passengers  between  the  lower 
and  upper  ends  of  the  island,  and  a  slower  but  still  speedy  movement  for  the  local 
passengers. 

2.  It  provides  a  cheap  and  convenient  channel  for  the  conveyance  of  freight  be- 
tween the  termini  of  the  steam  railways,  and  a  large  portion  of  the  business  houses 
in  the  city. 

3.  It  classifies  the  travel  and  trade,  and  removes  from  the  present  street  so  many 
of  its  vehicles  as  to  render  it  more  useful  and  pleasant  for  carriages. 

4.  It  furnishes  an  arcade  avenue  and  promenade,  convenient  for  pedestrians  at 
all  times,  in  warm,  cold,  or  stormy  weather. 

5.  The  sub-way  will  be  well  ventilated  and  lighted,  so  that  its  use  will  be 
pleasant  and  healthy. 

6.  It  can  be  constructed  without  interruption  either  to  the  travel  on  the  street 
or  the  convenient  use  of  the  buildings  adjacent,  and  without  occupying  the  street 
for  the  hauling  of  the  materials  required  from  or  to  the  work  ;  and  it  can  be  built 
without  end  mgering  any  of  the  structures  along  the  street,  and  with  arrangements 
for  a  better  location  of  the  water  and  gas-pipes,  and  sewers,  and  without  any  in- 
terruption of  the  present  connections. 

7.  The  route  selected,  namely,  that  along  Broadway,  is  determined  by  the  topo- 
graphy of  the  island. 


5 


8.  It  in  no  case  occupies  or  injures  any  private  property,  but  in  nearly  all 
cases  greatly  enhances  the  value  of  the  property  along  its  route. 

9.  There  are  no  difficulties  attending  the  construction  of  the  work  which  can  nut 
he  overcome  with  engineering  skill,  and  at  a  comparatively  moderate  cost. 

Finally,  it  meets  a  necessity  in  the  most  complete  and  unobjectionable  manner. 

(Signed)  George  B.  McClellax, 

William  J.  McAlplne, 
Egbert  L.  Yiele, 
Julius  W.  Adams, 
Sylvanus  H.  Sweet, 

I.  F.  QuiNBY, 

John  B.  Jarvis. 

New-York,  March,  1870.  Silas  Seymour. 

New- York,  March  5,  1870. 
Having  well  considered  the  subject  of  a  sub-road  as  a  means  of  passenger  and 
merchandise  transit  in  a  city,  and  having  advised  myself  as  to  the  design  and  de- 
tails of  the  sub-road  in  operation  in  the  city  of  London,  1  concur  in  all  of  the  es- 
sential elements  of  the  statements  and  opinions  above  expressed,  and  also  entertain 
the  opinion  that  the  ventilation  of  the  roadway  can  be  very  materially  increased  in  ad- 
dition to  that  shown  in  the  plan  submitted.  Further,  the  effects  of  the  depression 
of  the  surface  of  Broadway  at  Canal  street,  and  the  existence  of  ooze  at  Union 
Scpiare,  can  be  met  without  arresting  the  operation  of  the  sewer  at  the  first  place, 
or  involving  the  stability  of  buildings  at  the  latter. 

Charles  H.  Haswell, 
Civil  Engineer  and  City  Surveyor. 


OPINION  OF  GENERALS  WRIGHT  AND  NEWTON,  U.  8.  CORPS  OF  ENGINEERS. 

Xew-York,  March  23,  1870. 

The  undersigned,  having  had  submitted  to  them,  for  an  opinion  upon  its  merits, 
the  project  for  the  Arcade  Underground  Railway,  in  Broadway,  and  having  given 
the  subject  attentive  consideration,  coincide  in  the  views  presented  in  the  report  of 
the  Commission  of  Civil  Engineers,  composed  of  General  George  B.  McClellan,  W.  J. 
MeAlpine,  Esq.,  and  others,  as  regards  the  necessity  for  some  such  mode  of  communi- 
cation for  the  purpose  of  affording  relief  to  the  over-crowded  thoroughfares  of  Xew- 
York,  as  to  the  practicability  of  the  project  proposed  under  an  engineering  point  of 
view,  and  its  efficiency  when  completed,  and  generally  of  the  mode  in  which  the 
project  is  to  be  carried  out. 

The  undersigned  have  not,  however,  had  the  opportunity  of  investigating  the 
estimate  of  cost,  and  do  not,  therefore,  express  any  opinion  thereon. 


H.  G.  Wright, 
John  Xewton. 


